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OO RUEHBC RUEHBZ RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHKUK RUEHMA
RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNJ #0595/01 3481256
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141256Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7506
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000595 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/C 
STATE FOR S/USSES 
OSD FOR DASD HUDDLESTON 
NSC FOR GAVIN 
LONDON FOR POL - LORD 
PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PREF MARR MASS CD
SUBJECT: GOC CONTINUES EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE CHILD SOLDIERS 
IN ITS OWN RANKS 
 
REF: A. NDJAMENA 499 
     ¶B. NDJAMENA 362 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (SBU) The Government of Chad continues its efforts to 
eliminate child soldiers in its own ranks, after having made 
definite progress on underage personnel in Chad rebel ranks. 
The GOC completed a significant sensitization mission 
regarding child soldiers with recent visits to its Moussouro 
and Mongo military camps.  The MFA's military coordinator in 
charge of the mission strongly underscored the GOC's position 
on the illegality of children in the military ranks and 
official intolerance for those who permit it to happen.  At 
one stop, the GOC also had the opportunity to welcome back 
former child soldiers from rebel ranks.  The GOC plans to 
build on these efforts by developing a national action plan 
on child soldiers in the coming months. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  The GOC takes this effort very seriously and is 
committed to continuing the campaign, invoking promises that 
FORMIN Faki made to Secretary Clinton and UNSYG Ban.  GOC 
officials are the first to admit, however, that a change of 
mentality is required, claiming that even current senior 
military officers once were "child soldiers" by current 
definitions.  Such efforts are just a start in addressing the 
problem of child soldiers in Chad, but we find most 
responsible GOC officials sincere and engaged on the issue. 
We anticipate that the USG, along with other international 
actors, will be invited to participate in the creation of the 
Action Plan, and we aim to help the GOC develop long-term 
actions to stem this problem.   END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------------- 
OUTREACH TO ADDITIONAL MILITARY CAMPS 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Government of Chad completed a major 
sensitization mission regarding child soldiers with recent 
visits to the Moussouro and Mongo military camps.  The team, 
again led by MFA military coordinator General Idriss Dokony 
Adiker, included GOC military officers, diplomats, and UN 
officials from MINURCAT, UNICEF, and UNDP.  As with earlier 
stops (Ref A), the General clearly explained the illegality 
of children in the military ranks and the GOC's intolerance 
for those who permit it to happen.  He commented that he has 
given these same instructions to all heads of services and 
affirmed the authority of the local governor to transfer to 
UNICEF's care any children found in the law enforcement and 
military ranks.  Together with UNICEF interlocutors, the 
General underscored that the term "child soldier" included 
"enfants associes meaning anyone under the age of 18 who was 
associated with the military, whether or not they carried 
arms. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) During the stop at the local Gendarmerie division 
in Moussouro, General Dokony added to his speech by calling 
upon the force, as "guardians of the law," to live up to its 
higher responsibility -- ensuring that children were not 
present in the ranks of the other services. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) While reviewing the troops in Moussouro, General 
Dokony turned over to UNICEF three soldiers suspected of 
being underage.  UNICEF later verified that all three were 
adults and legitimate members of the Chadian National Army. 
A similar review of the troops in Mongo found no one 
suspected of being underage.  The UNICEF child protection 
specialist who participated on the team said that UNICEF was 
overall happy with the GOC's sensitization mission, from the 
first trip in August through these final visits.  Further, 
the UNICEF interlocutor said that he had used the 
opportunities to develop contacts in all the camps who would 
call UNICEF if there was a suspected child soldier in the 
ranks. 
 
 
NDJAMENA 00000595  002 OF 002 
 
 
-------------------- 
REBEL CHILD SOLDIERS 
-------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Although the Chadian military and law enforcement 
establishment was the focus of the GOC mission to Moussoro, 
the team's visit coincided with UNICEF's ongoing verification 
effort of the child soldiers who had rallied under rebel 
leader Ahmat Soubiane.  At the time, there were 92 underaged 
child soldiers still in Chadian military custody, while 
another 35 had already been released to the Minister of 
Social Action's temporary center in preparation for moving to 
UNICEF's Ndjamena-based transit center. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The General addressed the 92 assembled children, 
welcoming them back to Chad and highlighting the care and 
assistance that awaited them through UNICEF's reintegration 
program.  He also used the opportunity to announce a change 
in the GOC's strategy toward returning rebel child soldiers, 
the elimination of the 40,000 FCFA (approximately 90 USD) in 
remuneration.  He told the children that they should not 
expect any money from the GOC and that it was a stain on 
Chad's reputation that some local children were pretending to 
be former child soldiers simply to receive the payout. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The GOC's change of heart was not well accepted. 
In the two weeks following the General's announcement, 
children at the UNICEF- and CARE-operated transit center 
instigated three separate hostage crises to demand the 40,000 
FCFA payment.  GOC and UNICEF had to intervene but UNICEF 
interlocutors said that the government is not united on 
addressing the problem to ensure that is won't happen again 
nor is the GOC organized to mediate if this continues. 
During the third event, UNICEF said that its own staff had to 
negotiate the release of the center's director because no one 
in the government with the requisite level of authority could 
be located.  The GOC ended up provided some compensation to 
the former child soldier so the situation has abated but no 
one believes it to be resolved. 
 
------------------------- 
GOC'S PLANS GOING FORWARD 
------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The GOC is in the midst of finalizing the mission 
report and developing its next steps in addressing child 
soldiers in the Chadian military and law enforcement. 
Several recommendations have emerged from discussions among 
GOC officials and international community members.  The GOC 
wants to create a technical group that will organize a 
national workshop with the aim of creating a national action 
plan for child soldiers; restrict the selling of military 
clothing and related objects to non-military personnel; 
support training for the Gendarmerie in its role to protect 
children; and hold special meetings with the military ranks 
to reinforce GOC instructions against recruiting minors. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Dokony takes this effort very seriously and is 
committed to continuing the campaign, invoking promises that 
FORMIN Faki made to Secretary Clinton and UNSYG Ban.  He is 
the first to admit, however, that a change of mentality is 
required, claiming that even he was a "child soldier" by 
current definitions.  His efforts are just a start in 
addressing the problem of child soldiers in Chad but we find 
him and the other GOC officials sincere and engaged on the 
issue.  We anticipate that the USG, along with other 
international actors, will be invited to participate in the 
creation of the Action Plan, and we aim to help the GOC 
develop long-term actions to stem this problem.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶11.  (U) Minimize considered. 
NIGRO